THE GUARDIAN: n their feverish film, Craig plays a man embroiled in a drug-fuelled gay affair. He and director Guadagnino talk about love, ageing – and a forgotten sex act
There is no shortage of directors who have made movies about gay life only to then backtrack and claim they were not specifically gay stories after all: Tom Ford did it with A Single Man, William Friedkin with both Cruising and The Boys in the Band. Luca Guadagnino, the director of Call Me By Your Name and this year’s steamy tennis romcom Challengers, is not about to play that game. “It is the most gigantic gay film in history,” he says of his latest picture, for which he recreated 1950s Mexico City on 12 stages at the Cinecittà studios in Rome. “I don’t think there has ever been a bigger gay movie.” Then again, he doesn’t have much wriggle room: the film is called Queer.
His feverish adaptation of William S Burroughs’s novel, which was written in the early 1950s but not published until 1985, concerns an American expat, William Lee, who locks eyes with a young stranger across a crowded cockfight. This is Eugene Allerton, a clean-cut, blade-like presence, played by Drew Starkey. And who should star as Lee, the gauche, fumbling, sweaty goofball, but Daniel Craig? If No Time to Die hadn’t killed off James Bond, Queer would have done it in a trice. » | Ryan Gilbey | Wednesday, December 11, 2024
This was my review of Call Me By Your Name on Amazon on December 5, 2019:
Powerful and transformative, this wonderful movie is a celebration of love, a celebration of beauty in all its forms, a celebration of enlightened thinking, a celebration of the attraction of a summer in delightful, sunny Italy!
Timothée Chalamet (Elio) and Armie Hammer (Oliver) play their parts splendidly. In fact, all the actors do. Michael Stuhlbarg, the father, with his father-to-son talk towards the end of the film is a sensation; Amira Casar, who plays the part of Elio’s mother, plays her part flawlessly. The parents' acceptance of Elio’s sexuality is an object lesson in parenting perfection.
This superb film excites the senses! It electrifies you! It will probably change your perceptions, too. It has the power to shake a person out of his benightedness!
A celebration of the beauty of pure, gay love; this film shows us all how truly beautiful it can be, with all its joy and attendant pain. This is a love story, showing that love is love, no matter what form that love takes.
The movie will transport you back to the beautiful early 80s, when life was far less complicated. The attention to detail in the film is remarkable. When watching this film, you can feel Italy, feel the Eighties. Because of the filming techniques used, you feel that you are there in Italy along with the characters.
Having read many reviews, I know I am not alone in finding this film extremely moving. If you let it, it will touch something deep inside you, whether you are gay or straight.
The stunning beauty of this movie is what you get when the brilliance of an author such as André Aciman is married with the unbelievable skill of the screenwriter, James Ivory, and the creative genius of the film director, Luca Guadagnino. The result is a masterpiece!
This is a movie for those able to feel deeply. It is one of the finest films I have ever watched. Bravo to all concerned in its production!
Watching this moving film brought back fond memories of times that have past and evoked thoughts of what could have been. Truly touching! Don't miss it! But make sure you have a box of Kleenex to hand. You will surely need one. The movie is bewitching!
If you want to understand the attraction of gay love, this is the film for you! The discovery of a young man’s sexuality is tenderly and tastefully portrayed.
Watching this exquisite film is a not-to-be-missed experience.
© Mark Aleaander
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